Keefe: Murray's been great since return despite poor numbers

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe backed goaltender Matt Murray following another rocky outing Monday in a loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Murray faced a modest 29 shots in the defeat but allowed four goals for the third consecutive start since returning from an ankle injury that forced him to miss 17 games.

"I think he's been great," Keefe said, per Sportsnet. "The numbers look terrible, but again, here tonight, I thought he looked really good. I mean, it's four tap-ins. They're three feet or less in front of the crease."

The Leafs held a 2-0 advantage early in the second period but allowed four consecutive goals and were heavily outshot from that point on. Keefe didn't think Murray was to blame.

"Our second period was our worst period by far, maybe of the season, to be honest," he said, according to the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan.

Murray was acquired from the Ottawa Senators last offseason for future considerations. His tenure with the Maple Leafs began with a 7-2-2 record and .924 save percentage, but the two-time Stanley Cup winner has only five wins in 11 starts with a .877 clip since, according to Sportsnet Stats.

He's also comfortable with where his game is at.

"I felt pretty good, especially through two periods," he said, per TSN's Mark Masters. "I think that third period, they get a couple good looks and capitalized on them. I just got to make an extra save there, but I felt pretty good for the most part."

Toronto has relied primarily on Ilya Samsonov between the pipes this season due to Murray's injuries. The former Washington Capital is 23-8-2 on the season with a .915 save percentage and 2.84 goals against average.

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